Merchant Seeks Affialate Feedback...

[triseros]

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I run an interactive text messaging service that provides mainly for MLM (Network Marketing) and small business and would appreciate your feedback.

I have looked at many of the merchant affiliate programs available on the web and would be interested to know your views on the ones that provide the best service for you (as a merchant I don't want to associated with any problems so if you're happy I'm happy).

From this I am hoping that I will be able to make the right choice in who I extend my products through.

We currently offer free text credits (approx value £5 for each sale) to anyone who promotes our service which allows people to send texts through our site but appreciate that people often like to see cash in hand.

What do you consider to be a fair return for a sale? and who would you recommend?

Any help would be appreciated

Paul

[lowndsy]

I must admit I was intrigued by this and can see lots of uses for your service. However, you seem to be limiting your spiel to mlm applications. There seem to be plenty of other uses - I'd use it to get basic info about a user by offering a unique URL in the second message - to download a free screensaver or ringtone or something (maybe a joke of the week). Can the questions to the user be customised, or if not what are they?

If I took the plunge I'd be happy being credited in messages - it might save me topping up my account, as long as the credits didn't expire after a month or so. As far as network go I'd go for the one with the most webmaster tools already on their books - that way you know you have access potential affiliates with sites in the right area. If I was after cash though I might be put off by all of the mlm references.

[triseros]

Thanks for this - the messaging is not premium rate so people are not charged for sending a text through the service.

MLM'rs use it for their advertising for lead processing so they can get contact details and pay a fixed monthly fee.

The messages that are sent out can be fully customised so it is possble to use the service for a host of other applications apart from MLM.

The free credits are automatically credited to your account and an acount is set up by simply registering and following the get free texts button (you don't need a MLM text account to promote it)

I am always looking for feedback on the sort of services that could take advantage of this so I appreciate your message

[Dynamoo]

To be honest, I can't see past the "MLM" thing. To me, MLM isn't affiliate marketing at all, and many affiliates wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

I'm afraid I can't see any application for that in affiliate marketing. Where's the product? What are we selling? Who are the customers? Affiliate marketing is generally about selling real products to real people - this seems to be nothing like that.

[lowndsy]

With regards to the "what is the product", well, the product is the texting service. Webmaster services do have a place in affiliate marketing - there is a text service on at least one other network (pocketthis), and it is as much a service as hosting or SEO.
I agree it isn't that useful to pure affiliates, but to general webmasters (or people looking to show off theit txting skillz) it might be useful, though it is never going to be suitable for everybody. I just wish it didn't have MLM plastered all over it, especially since the major client they keep quoting isn't mlm at all (is it?).

Triseros - do you have the same definition of mlm as us? - Dodgy sales schemes (well, mostly) which are based on pyramid like comission structures?

If you remove the references to mlm from the site as a whole then I bet you would get a lot more sales. You could have a page or section or whatever dedicated to mlm applications, as long as that wasn't thought to be the whole point of the program.

[drivetowin]

I think this product does have its uses - and its rates for bulk SMS are good - but it does rather overemphasise mlm to its detriment.

And yes - as far as I know - kleeneze is an mlm scheme

[triseros]

These are excellent comments and I appreciate the feedback. The reference to MLM was used as this was the major player for needing keyword text messaging at the outset and provided a great deal of input in its development.

The fact that you are now highlighting it as something that could be holding the product back emphasises the need for this sort of input and I will be reviewing the way in whcih we market the product in future.

We are currently in the process of switching over to a dedicated server to handle the demand from MLM customers alone and this could well prove more prudent should we 'open the market up' by promoting it more broadly.

If we were to make the site more generic with a smaller dedicated page to MLM, what sort of other markets/businesses would be able to take advantage of the service?

[lowndsy]

And yes - as far as I know - kleeneze is an mlm scheme

Sorry my mistake

I asusme they're quite a trustworthy one though?

[triseros]

Yes, which is why we are happy to be associated with them

[lowndsy]

Hey tri, couldn't you just rebrand your site twice? One for mlm and one as a webmaster tool? I suppose if you followed that to its obvious conclusion you could even go white label - plenty of webmaster tools sites and even hosts or ISPs might want you on board.

[triseros]

Good point - again these are things to consider when we switch to the dedicated server